Earth and Ember

Forgotten Lands #2

by Lindsey Pogue

*A HISTORICAL FANTASY & POST-APOCALYPTIC TALE*

Courage. Love. Survival.

The desert town of Sagebrush Canyon is a cesspit of corruption, shrouded in centuries of lies and deceit. But with the marshal now dead, the citizens of Sagebrush must pick up the pieces and seek the truth, which they soon realize is far more terrifying. The water is drying up, drifters are coming, and time is running out.

After his father’s murder, Luke swore to protect Sagebrush against the drifters roaming the Dead Lands. And back on a mountain, pummeled by sleet and snow, Kaia has been safely tucked away from the merciless survivors ravaging the desert valley below. But when the last of her family goes missing, Kaia can no longer sit by. Her people are hungry, frightened, and she is fed up — ruthless enemies be damned.

Sandstorms and the spirits of old have a way of changing things, though, and Luke and Kaia’s entire world will collide in a whirlwind of distrust, grief, passion, and fear. Their pasts and hatred for one another fuel them, but their hope of survival is what binds them together.

Earth and Ember is an alternative history Victorian love story and survival adventure set in the devastated and forgotten lands of the American wild west. Fans of Amy Harmon and Adrienne Young will get lost in this richly imagined, weather-ravaged world, brimming with courageous, beautifully broken characters.

The Forgotten Lands series explores the aftermath of a climatic shift that changed nineteenth-century life during the Industrial Revolution, leaving the world fraught with floods, droughts, and sandstorms. This alternate reality will traverse deserts, roam plains, and take you across oceans to discover life after the Shift.

Genres: Audiobook, Dystopia, Adult, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Post Apocalyptic

434 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 1, 2021

About the author

“[Lindsey] mastered what it is to be human, and the connections we build with one another.” - Goodreads Reviewer

Lindsey Pogue is a genre-bending survival romance author, best known for her soul-stirring Savage North Chronicles. With a master’s in history and her passion for apocalyptic landscapes, Lindsey weaves epic adventures where humanity shines brightest in the darkest of times. Her weather-ravaged worlds defy genre boundaries, inviting readers to escape the ordinary and discover the boundless strength of the human spirit.

When Lindsey's not plotting her next storyline or dreaming up new, brooding characters, she's wrapped in blankets, watching action flicks with her own leading man. She and her husband live in Northern California with their rescue cats, Beast and Blue.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ “[Lindsey] mastered what it is to be human, and the connections we build with one another.” - Amazon (Author Unpublished)

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ "Lindsey Pogue is a master storyteller!" -Tome Tender Book Reviews

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ "Lindsey Pogue does it again!! I absolutely love her writing style."



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Reviews

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully Done

I LOVE the turn this series has taken! I always enjoy a good Native American story, but this went above and beyond. What a beautiful picture of a village and lifestyle that is foreign to Sagebrush inhabitants. You so badly want Sagebrush to win, because we all know their future is bleak. But, the people they come in contact with are so pure and real, you want them to win too. This book demonstrates the need to put our differences aside and find common ground, or we all will lose in the end. Beautifully done!

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is brilliant! A great second part to this new exciting end of the world series! Brilliant ideas & plot, great selection of interesting well thought out characters & overall a really great read! I can't wait to see where this story goes in the next book! I do strongly recommend this to all that love this genre!

[Lindsey Pogue]

"This is brilliant!" With no family left, Kaia is all that remains of her bloodline. She will lead them, however reluctant she may be, and risk everything in the process to save her people. When she captures one of the enemy’s own, there is no going back. Trust them and broker a peace, or prepare for war? In a world ravaged by sand and storms, Luke and Kaia’s lives collide in a whirlwind of treachery, passion, and fear. Can mortal enemies set aside their hatred, or are they doomed to perish like the world around them?

Tropes include:
⚜️Enemies to lovers
⚜️Forced proximity
⚜️Survival situations
⚜️Forbidden love
⚜️Emotional scars
⚜️Different worlds
⚜️Dual POV

"A beautiful narrative that blends cultural perspectives and did so respectfully." - Critical acclaim from American Indian Ambassador, Faron Jack

A standalone romantic gaslamp fantasy and adventure in the Forgotten Lands world.

Perfect for Amy Harmon and Adrienne Young fans!

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ "Beautifully done!"

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ "This is brilliant!"

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ "Wow!!!!! I love the story!! I was just going to read a few pages today and then couldn’t put the book down!!"

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ “This book packs a desperate, emotional punch you can't miss. ”

An interconnected, standalone installment in the Forgotten Lands series

Support the author! You can buy signed paperbacks, ebooks, exclusive swag, and audiobooks in Lindsey’s bookshop! www.payhip.com/lindseypogue

**Bonus stories and content are available in Lindsey’s Exclusive Reader Membership: www.reamstories.com/lindseypogue

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing!! Absolutely loved it. The twist and surprises are just wow! Kaia is so great I absolutely love her. Another 5 star read!!!

[lynn lantosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is when fire and water come together

2 different peoples with entirely different beliefs can they come together to save the future of mankind can they put aside their differences

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!!!!

I love every single person in this book!! You want to hate some of them but you just can’t!! I love the story!! I love the hot romance!! I was just going to read a few pages today and then couldn’t put the book down!! I can’t wait for the next part of the story!!!

[Julian White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kobo epub; page numbers vary (font size choice... )

Picking up almost immediately after the previous volume finished the new regime attempts to broker a new relationship with the 'drifters' - difficult as the two groups have spent the last two centuries effectively at war. However the water supply for Sagebrush is drying up so desperate measures are required.

The two pov characters are Luke, protegé of the former marshal and a junior deputy, and Kaia, an important young woman in the mountain settlement, initially at odds but eventually coming to respect each other.

The actual cause of the Shift that has altered the world's climate is slightly clearer but remains mostly unexplained. A third volume is on the way...

[KARYN RASSEL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kaia and Luke


It was very exciting to get to know both of the villages, Sagebrush and the mountain village. The story of them both and the realization that they could unite together. Each bringing the best of them together. This is another love story between the the villages and their leaders.

[Robert Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

What a great story. It makes me imagine what the world would be like after all the wars have ended and the years and struggles for mankind to once again start over. This is a great book to read.

[Katie Klinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it!

Another great read from Lindsey Pogue! Enemies to lovers in a post-apocalyptic alternative history world. I loved getting to see how these two were able to put aside their differences and bring two opposing peoples together.

[Sabrina Rivera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an amazing story, with excellent character development and world building. I felt like I was watching a movie while reading it. I could actually see the scenes playing out. I usually don’t read this genre, but Lindsey pulled me into her story with the descriptiveness of not only the physical aspects, but also the emotional ones. There is so much growth in these characters and their relationships. There is romance, but it’s not gratuitous. There is passion, despair, and everything in between. I loved seeing how the interactions of the characters, and their interactions with the land, evolved! I can’t wait for the next one!

[JenMarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have received a copy of Earth and Ember in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
I am not compensated for my reviews.

Earth and Ember follow the POVs of two characters. Luke, a young deputy who is trying to get used to changes in Sagebrush. And Kaia, a young native woman destined to be a great leader.
These two character have given a perfect example of what happens when cultures are divided. How people can hate others based off of stories and strife from the past.

I personally think this book released in the best time. To show that despite the differences, these two characters and their people are working together to end a centuries long hatred of the other.

I loved how we had Clayton and Jo from the prequel. You can see the nervousness as they take in their new roles as leaders of a town.

Kaia and Luke, who were both raised on hate of the other race, we can easily see the error in the ways. as they work together to bring in a long needed peace.

I personally can't wait for the next installment. I can tell this series is going to be the best way for people of today to learn on how to look past the differences of others and make peace.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 2 of the Forgotten Lands series takes us to the mountains where Kaia lives and is expected to lead this small native village. After getting to know how difficult life is in the desert town of Sagebrush where they are always in fear of running out of water, it was interesting to learn about It life in the mountains where water is plentiful but fresh meat is scarce. Both communities lead a hard life and realize they should work together to improve the lives of all of their people. Of course it's not an easy road to convince everyone to get along and work together.

I really enjoyed the progression of Kaia and Luke's relationship. It certainly wasn't love at first sight but hate at first sight instead. It was also great to get a little more about some other people from Sagebrush like Jo and Clayton.

I look forward to whatever comes next for these communities and others in the future.

[Kay Stunts · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this on audiobook.

The people of Sagebrush have been fighting the drifters for as long as they can remember, but now they need their help to survive. The drifters live on a mountain only coming down to hunt for food which is getting scarcer every day.

This is book two in the forgotten lands series. Having not read the first one I was worried I might not know what was going on, but it was easy to follow and read more as a stand alone with a nice setup into the next book.

I loved the characters and the relationship between Kaia and Luke was really well done. It’s a slow burn enemies to lovers.

The only complaint I have is the start of the story was a little slow for me. I was a good twenty five percent in before the pacing picked up and it really caught my attention. That being said this was still a great story.

If you like post-apocalyptic romance in a western type setting, give this book a try.

[Starr Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great addition to this series! I love how this book ties other things together so cleanly and subtly. The characters were wonderful. Luke is probably my favorite of the men in this entire series.

Whether you enjoy westerns or not, it will not matter in the least. This book packs a desperate, emotional punch you can't miss. Highly, highly recommend.

Though the Forgotten lands series doesn't seem to have official numbers, there is a clear reading order, and this should be the last read. I just happened to listen to all of the audiobooks in the right order. Start with Tide & Tempest, then Dust & Shadow, and finish with this one. There will be little rewards in this book if you follow that order.

[Laurel Heebsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-researched novel about culture clash with likable characters and a plot with twists and turns. This is a standalone book with the same setting and some characters from Dust and Shadow. It was interesting to compare communities that that adapted in isolation but share some common roots. The characters are realistic and I was rooting for them to grow and change. And the world they live in is a sad example of what we’re doing to our planet. Great book!
I finished this one and immediately picked up the next book in the series, Tide and Tempest.

[A Schaeffs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Swept away with a rich and action packed story.

I was swept away in this story, absolutely loved the native American tribes, with their culture and history, their love for nature and life enriching the plot.

To me, this book is even better than Book 1. There is so much richness to the background of both main characters and the dangers of the world makes it fast paced and "un-put-downable". I am in love with Kaia and Luke!

This book does not focus on Jo and Clayton but they do make cameos in the book, their participation is perfectly interwoven into the plot.

[Alejandra Guerrero · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's an interesting alternative history/ dystopian universe. The characters are well written, and there's development and the plot is OK. Not much there, it's more character driven, but it's interesting enough. There are a couple things, though, like them deciding not to have kids. How the hell would they do that? I'd imagine medical priorities are far from birth control, what with the "consumption", and all.

[Carrie McCauley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is full of adventure and many fears. The world Lindsey had developed here is such a contrast to the typical worlds I read about. Her descriptions are so written that you can "feel" yourself there. The characters are woven so well that you can feel their fears, confusion and surprise at each other's worlds.
I listened to the audiobook and had a very hard time shutting it off.
AUDIO review-The narrator did such an excellent job making this adventure come to life.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

amazing

I love the forgotten lands series and Luke and Kais’s journey was no different!! The chemistry and love that they share between them and with their people is breathed into every word! Absolutely amazing story about 2 opposite sides of the world coming together to help each other! I can’t wait to see what comes next!!

[Makayla Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, I just want to say that all of Lindsey’s books are tremendously detailed, heart wrenching, and awe inspiring. This one is no different. She is an extremely underrated author. I’m wowed every time I start a new book. 10,000,000,000,000/10.

[Dahlia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I expected something else from this book. It wasn’t bad, I was just kinda bored throughout. I went in expecting something more fast paced but it wasn’t. Which isn’t bad, but it wasn’t what I was in the mood for at the time so it tainted my appreciation of the book.

[Dave T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story

These books have been really surprising with how captivating they are. The story of these two civilizations coming together for common survival has been heartwarming.

[Mae · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

[Jessica]

What a drag

[Emily Thomson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Both narrators were great

[Cales]

DNF 50%

[Savannah Muron · Rating 4 out of 5]

audiobook was so good but it was kinda weird like twice